Rant: A sequel to It's A Wonderful Life. It's happening. I'M DEAD SERIOUS.

When I came home from school today I did what I always do: Make a snack and check the new stories one the front page of IMDb. When I read this headline, a part of me died inside.

'It's A Wonderful Life' Sequel in the Works

It is official. The time has come. Hollywood really has run out of ideas.

I mean really, why? Just... WHY?

First off: Why on earth would you make a sequel to a movie that will be nearly 70 years old by the time of the sequel's release? What is the point?

If the article said that a remake of It's A Wonderful Life was in the works, I wouldn't be so angry. I could understand a remake over a sequel because It's A Wonderful Life is a great movie with a wonderful story that should be told to newer, younger generations. That would make some legitimate sense. But instead, a sequel that NOBODY ASKED FOR is being made.

Secondly: Who actually wants to see what happens next in the story? More importantly, what else is there to tell? The original film ended on such a satisfying and heartwarming note that every single subplot was wrapped up nicely by the time the credits rolled. There is nothing left to go off of!

Thirdly: I heard a rumor that a sequel to It's A Wonderful Life was an idea floating around during the 1980's. The sequel would have brought back the cast of the original, including Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and Frank Capra would have returned as director. That would have been interesting. It might a stunk, but we would have been more positive about it because the cast and crew of the original would have returned to put some effort into it. But here, they are pulling an Amazing Spiderman on us:
Making the exact same movie with a completely different cast and crew that won't be as good as the original. No matter how hard they try. And for only one reason and one reason alone: Money.

According to the article the sequel will be called, It's A Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story. The plot is said to revolve around Karolyn Grimes who played George Bailey’s daughter “Zuzu” in the original.  She is set to return for the sequel as an angel who shows Bailey’s unlikeable grandson (also named George Bailey) how much better off the world would have been had he never been born.

That is the exact plot of the original!!! If they are honestly going off of the exact plot of the original only with different characters, WHY DON'T THEY JUST REMAKE IT?!?!?!?!?!?! That would at least make more sense! People would still be angry that Hollywood would be tampering with one of the best movies of all time but it wouldn't be as brainless of a move than this!

I can already see it now:
It's A Wonderful Life 2: Life is No Longer Wonderful.
Starring Channing Tatum and Kristen Stewart
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

The more I talk about it the higher my blood pressure gets. Hopefully the project will get scrapped and the film will get a direct to DVD release. Let's hope for the best.

Movie Review #70: Man of Steel (2013)

I have to say, this is the only movie I know of that has a fight take place inside of an Ihop. What other movie can hold the title of "Coolest Fight in an Ihop." I would like to see a Teen Choice Award for that!

I am finally reviewing Man of Steel, the one summer blockbuster I was excited to see but didn't end up seeing on the big screen. I decided to put of seeing this because I was dismayed by the critics (for a first) and decided to wait and rent it. And now that it has made itself available to the screens of the general public, I finally got to see the blockbuster with the most mixed reviews.

And how was it? For once the critics were right. This really is a mixed bag. Don't get me wrong, I ended up really liking the movie, but as a movie reviewer, there are problems with it and a few personal issues I had with it that I couldn't ignore.

When the trailer was first released it showed a quieter, more emotional side to our protagonist with flashbacks to him as a child.
That would have been a very interesting take on Superman because the previous films didn't really focus on his life trying to fit in. It also would have been a different direction for Zack Snyder, who's filmography consists of only films that are style-over-substance. But the later trailers ended up being more accurate to the end product : A special effects heavy, relentless disaster movie. And I am fine with that to an extent. The entire second half of the movie is full-on armageddon. There is so much belligerent carnage, mayhem and destruction in this movie that the finales to The Avengers and Transformers: Dark of the Moon combined look like mere child's play compared to this! And while it could have been 10-15 minutes shorter, it was so cool! The visual effects were unlike anything I had ever seen in a comic book movie before. The sheer grandness of the action felt larger than life. It really was super.

Some of the biggest complaints with Superman Returns is that there was too much emotion and not enough action and the biggest complaints with Man of Steel is that there wasn't enough emotion and too much action. Is there no middle ground with Superman movies?
But I do have to agree with those statements. The movie did lack the emotion and drama that made Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy so memorable. The only scene that I honestly felt a bit of emotion in was when Pa Kent died. But even that wasn't much.

The movie also lacked the lighthearted, hopeful tone and humor of the lore and the five previous films. Even Superman Returns, which for the most part is a very somber movie, had more lighthearted, uplifting, feel-good moments than Man of Steel. There are very few jokes in the film and when a moment of humor appears, it takes you out of the moment for a second.

Henry Cavil was pretty good as Superman. He was pretty likable and definitely has the looks and physique for the role. Amy Adams of course was great as Lois Lane. It will be a rare day when I say that Amy Adams is the weak link in the cast of a movie. I really enjoyed the addition of Russell Crowe as Jor-El. The scenes of him on Krypton were great. He also appears in a spirit form of sorts and gives advice and help to both Lois and Kal. He also had a couple good scenes with Michael Shannon as Zod. Which is one of the parts of the film that I think could have been better.

General Zod is one of the most famous villains in all of comic book lore but Michael Shannon's performance as him wasn't as memorable as it could have been or how I wanted it to be. I'm not saying Michael Shannon is a bad actor. Far from it! It just came off as a bit too cold and stoic for me. Although he does have a couple very entertaining freak out moments. I also enjoyed the scene where his message to the world was broadcasted over every television. It kind of reminded me of the scenes in Iron Man 3 when the Mandarin hijacked the airwaves. The way the message was delivered seemed like something a real terrorist would do. It felt gritty, creepy, invasive, wrong and I loved it.

Without spoiling anything, The way the final battle ended shocked me. Even though it probably infuriated some fans, I appreciated the direction the film went in. It cemented the fact that this version of Superman no longer fights for truth, justice and the American way. Surprising, but very effective.

Final Report:  Man of Steel lacks emotion and humor, but the grand spectacle of the action sequences and visual effects are more than enough eye candy to feast upon. And for me, that is a good enough for me to add it to my movie collection.

Movie Review #69: Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Thor: The Dark World was one of my most anticipated movies of 2013 and I was fortunate enough to catch an advanced screening of the film late last night. And since I had never been to an early showing of a movie before I was even more excited than I normally would have been!

Thor: The Dark World begins with a flashback thousands of years ago when Asgard was at war with a race of dark elves lead by an elf named Malekith. He wants a weapon called the Aether to take over the universe and send it into darkness. He ends up losing the battle and the Aether is hidden away but for reasons I will not say, he finds the location of the Aether and plans his revenge. It is now up to Thor and even some help from Loki to save the universe.

On the drive home from the theater, I was having a very tough time think about if I liked Thor: The Dark World more than Thor. And truth be told, I still don't know which one I liked more!

Both films had their flaws, but they were still very enjoyable and just a ton of fun. Although there are some evident differences in the two films. While the first Thor was more of a story about redemption and honor, Thor: The Dark World didn't have an underlying message like its predecessor. Which might be good news for people who didn't care for the message and wanted more action. But for me, the message was what made Thor stand out among the other Marvel movies. But then again, I think that Thor: The Dark World was a more well made movie on a technological standpoint. The visuals look fantastic. We finally get to see what Asgard looks like which was something we wanted to see in the first film. Malekith's make-up looks great. I definitely see an Oscar nomination for best make-up in the future for this film. The movie is also very well directed to which I have give credit to Alan Taylor. The final battle was a ton of fun. It involved Thor and Malekith popping from dimension to dimension and the best way I can describe it is that it felt like playing Portal! It really did and it was so much fun.

As usual, the actors are all great. The chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston really shines here. There is a scene where Thor is telling Loki his plan that had my theater erupting with laughter. In that scene there is a cameo that rivals Hugh Jackman's cameo in X-Men First Class in greatness. It was hilarious. One character I would have liked to have fewer lines was Kat Dennings character. At times she earned a good laugh but quite often her scenes felt rather awkward and out of place. At least she looked cute.

But the villain Malekith,  was pretty weak. It's a shame because the character looks and sounds super cool and he's played by Christopher Eccleston! The Ninth Doctor! How could I not like him? Sadly, he didn't have much to do and I felt he was just there to be the villain and nothing more. He's kind of like Nero from Star Trek. Both were played by good actors I like but they were wasted. Probably for more screen time for Loki.

Final Report: For me, Thor: The Dark World is just as good as its predecessor. Great action, humor, directing and characters make for a time at the movies that is definitely worth the price of admission.

Movie Review #68: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Am I the only one who wonders why The Nightmare Before Christmas is always called Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas when in fact it was Henry Selick who directed, not Burton. Why doesn't Henry Selick get the recognition he deserves? That's just something that confused me.

In The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington, The Pumpkin King of Halloween Town has grown tired of the same routine and he wants something different. After walking through the woods contemplating life, he discovers a magical doorway into Christmas Town. It is there he has an epiphany: Why can't the citizens of Halloween Town celebrate Christmas? So the townspeople decide to take matters into their own hands. Whether that is a good thing or not.

The one element that makes Nightmare stand out above all the other stop-motion films is Danny Elfman's masterful score and songs. If the movie wasn't a musical, it would just be remembered as a creepy kids movie. The movie would be nothing without the music. All of the songs are memorable. The first three songs are my personal favorite and the visuals match the songs to a tee.

Considering the film is celebrating its 20th anniversary on this very day (I swear I didn't plan that) the animation holds up incredibly well. The animation is astonishing. One of my personal favorite scenes is during Jack's Lament when he walks up the hill and the moon shines causing him to look like a silhouette. I'm not sure why I enjoy that scene so much. Maybe because it is the most iconic scene from the whole film. Or maybe it was a combination of the animation, the music and the environment.
It was great re-watching this in high definition because the colors have never looked more vibrant and the townspeople have never seemed creepier. Which leads me to the characters.

With a film as visually and musically memorable as The Nightmare Before Christmas, you would think that the characters would be very memorable, right? Sadly, the character that I really remembered is Jack Skellington because he was the main character and easily the most likable and relatable. The only reason some of the other characters are remembered is because of the nightmares they gave us as children (or maybe I only felt that way). Aside from scaring us as kids, the townspeople are very bland and boring. Especially the character of Sally. She is given little development or background whatsoever and yet we have to root for her as the protagonist and the love interest when she is a very boring character. The character of Oogie Boogie is pretty awesome though. The voice and design is super cool. I still can't get The Boogie Song out of my head.

Regardless of how bland some characters might be personality wise, they are made up with great character designs. The premise is completely different from anything we have ever seen before. It just blisters with originality and I love it.

Final Report: The Nightmare Before Christmas is an imaginatively original film with stop-motion animation and a awesome musical score that cements the reason why Danny Elfman is my favorite composer. It's a true classic.

Movie Review #67: After Earth (2013)

Yes this doesn't fit in with the halloween theme but there weren't any horror movies at Redbox that peaked my interest so this will have to do for now.

In After Earth, Will Smith and his son in real life Jaden Smith and their ship crashes on a now abandoned earth. When Will Smith gets injured, it is up to Jaden Smith to trek through the wild to find a distress beacon to call for help.

Will Smith plays a legendary military general named Cypher Rage (yes that is his real name) who has undergone a process called "ghosting". That means that he can no longer feel any fear. This makes him very cold and distant with his son Kitai Rage played by Jaden Smith. And yes that is his real name.

What is good about this movie: It has its elements of originality. The technology and weaponry that they use in the film are actually pretty cool. The main weapon used is a double edged metal blade that looks like a medieval version of Darth Maul's lightsaber and that is really cool. The premise is also original and some of the creatures they encounter have their elements of originality. And this could have been a much better film if it were in the hands of a different writer, director and had two different lead actors.

I like Will Smith. He's an incredibly likable guy, but in this he had all of his charisma sucked out of him. His character is so boringI'm not even sure if he cracked a smile in the entire movie. They also pull a complete bait and switch advertising Will Smith as the lead because for the entire movie he doesn't leave the ship and the film focuses on Jaden Smith. Yet Jaden Smith isn't any more interesting to watch than Will Smith is! He either comes off as too whiny or too angry. But one thing he always come off as: A bad actor. Okay, he might not be that bad of an actor but I don't think that he has enough acting chops to carry an entire 90 minute movie. He needs to start out small and when he has gotten better then he should move on to roles like this.

Aside from the sub-par acting, the film also suffers from sub-par directing. If this was in the hands of someone like Duncan Jones, Joe Johnston or Joseph Kosinski it would have been much better. Even if you don't like the directors I listed, you have to admit that their directorial style would have been a much better fit for the film than Shyamalan. M. Night's directing style is dialogue and story based that doesn't require many special effects if any. He needs to go back to making films like Unbreakable or The Village that don't rely on visuals but story and suspense unlike After Earth that had decent visuals but no suspense whatsoever. The closest thing to suspense we get is a scene where Jaden Smith is flying in a flying squirrel suit and is being chased by a giant bird. That scene was actually pretty cool.

Final Report: After Earth has an original story and some neat elements, but its boring pace, sub-par acting, underwhelming action and evident lack of fun or joy makes this a one of my least favorite movies of the year. I just hope M. Night Shyamalan goes on to making movies that he used to make.

Movie Review #66: Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005)

Now that I am finally done reviewing each season of The Walking Dead, I decided to review some of my favorite "horror movie." When I say "horror movies," I mean movies that have gothic, creepy elements but they really aren't scary at all. I'll review a few of these until the end of the month.

In Corpse Bride, Johnny Depp plays Victor. He is destined to be married to Victoria, played by Emily Watson. But when practicing his wedding vows in the forrest, he accidentally gets hitched to a corpse named Emily, played by Helena Bonham Carter.

As I said in my review of Sleepy Hollow, I love Tim Burton. He is one of my favorite directors. But even the greats have had their weaker films and some of the more recent Burton flicks like Alice in Wonderland haven't been quite up to par with some of his others. But for me, he has always hit it out the park with animation. Nightmare Before Christmas is phenomenal and last years' Frankenweenie was also great. So he hasn't missed with animation yet and Corpse Bride is no exception.

Corpse Bride is Tim Burton at his best. Not only is the story quirky and funny from the start but the comedy works. I probably found the humor to be even funnier because many of the jokes are puns and I am a sucker for puns. Yes, puns are the lowest form of comedy next to Happy Madison films but I love them nonetheless.

The animation is simply magical. I personally admire claymation more than any other type of animation. I appreciate every aspect of a claymation movie more because the hard work and attention to detail is far more evident. And the particularly impressive scenes are even more astonishing. For example, my favorite scene in the film is when a jazz band of skeletons perform a musical number for Victor. The music in that scene is simply infectious and the animation is stellar. That scene for me could have been a three minute long animated short film and I would have loved it.I also liked how in the world of the dead is significantly more colorful than the world of the living. I'm not sure if that is Tim Burton trying to subtly make a statement with that but the colors really stood out.

My only real complaint is that the film has a run time of only 77 minutes. I wouldn't have minded if it was at least 90 minutes long.

Final Report: Tim Burton's Corpse Bride is a lighthearted, funny romance with exquisite stop-motion animation, great music and enough classic irresistible Tim Burton charm.

Television Review #13: The Walking Dead Season 4 Premiere (2013)

Sorry for the wait for this. The first three reviews took a lot longer than I thought they would. But better late than never!

Season four resumes roughly 7 to 8 months after season three's finale. How do I know this? I estimated how old Rick's baby Judith looks now then she did last season. The prison has gone from a prison, to a community that is in a prison. You might find that comical (which I guess it is) but it actually does look different. Rick has taken up gardening, Carol reads to the children while teaching them about how to properly and effectively slay walkers and they even have some animals around. They even decorated their personal prison cell living quarters! I guess is now quite literally a "gated community."

All of the new members they gained from Woodbury last season have finally found their place in the group. And some of our old favorites from the group like Beth and Carl have finally grown up. Beth doesn't cry anymore and Carl has actually become one of the coolest characters on the show. He finally does what he is told to do. He tells the other punks his age that the walkers aren't sick and that they have lost every bit of humanity that was in them when they died. I'm definitely keeping my eye on Carl because I think that something important is going to happen with his character.

The chemistry between our old favorites like Rick, Darryl and Michonne is great. Michonne has finally come out of his shell and actually cracked a smile or two! It's great to see how the relationships among the cast has flourished.

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't been caught up yet, stop reading!
There is a conflict that has many theories sprouting up all over the IMDB message boards. One of the kids at the prison starts feeling sick and at the end of the episode, he faints. When the camera pans up to his face, his mouth and nose are covered in blood. His eyes then open and we see that he has turned. He wasn't even bit and he still turned! What is causing the living to turn without a bite? Is there something in the water? Is it  being spread through the air? Or is this a scheme concocted by the Governor in order to get the group to leave the group? Only time will tell I guess.

Final Report: Season 4 is sure to be the most intense, captivating, violent and gory season yet. I can't wait for what twists, turns and surprises are in store this season.

Television Review #12: The Walking Dead Season 3 (2012-2013)

Season 3 reunites us with the group roughly nine months after the last season left off and you can tell that they have been through the ringer. They all look sleep-deprived, weak and starved. They keep moving from shelter to shelter trying to not just outrun the walkers but to find a place for the group to call home. Then they stumble upon the prison. It's the perfect shelter for the group to start what could possibly be a normal life. But there is another community close by called Woodbury, run by a man called the Governor. Woodbury looks like the perfect Utopian society. Not just during the apocalypse but even in real life. But things aren't actually as perfect as it looks on the outside.

This is my favorite season of The Walking Dead so far. I loved almost everything about this season, but I'll list my favorite things that happened in the third season.

1. The show finally gets a definitive villain. In the first season, they were fighting against the walkers. In the second season, you could argue that Shane was the villain, but he was mostly the villain towards Rick and not towards the entire group. So I didn't think that season 2 had someone everyone could call villain. Luckily, The Governor is the villain that this show has been deserving of. He starts out calm, cool, collected, reasonable and likable in beginning of the season. By the season finale, you want to see Michonne kill him and stick his head in his freaky fish tank. That leads me to my second favorite new addition to the show.

2. Michonne. The show introduced us to the character of Michonne at the end of season two when she saved Andrea from a swarm of walkers. What I love about her is that she perhaps one of the only characters on the show who actually does what we want her to do. For example: When she walks into Woodbury and meets the Governor, she instantly thinks that there's something off here. The audience knows something is wrong and she does what we want her to do: Leave! She is the only character with common sense to leave when something is strange. And her character introduction was completely awesome. She decapitates two walkers with her Last Samurai katana and the camera pans to her. Her face shadowed by her Sith Lord cloak and hood with to defenseless walkers on chains. How can you not find that completely sweet?

3. The Return of Merle. In the second episode, Rick handcuffed Merle to a rooftop and ended up leaving him stuck there when they lost the key. When they returned, he cut off his own hand and left. We had speculated that Merle was still alive for a while and he finally returns! Even though Merle was only in one episode, I though Merle was a great character. Yeah he was a creep, a jerk and a racist but I found him hysterical. They also give him a great conflict whether he should side with the Governor or the group that his brother is in. It's very interesting seeing his internal struggle.

4. Andrea. No member of the original group since Shane has driven us up the wall quite like Andrea. I almost hated her as much as I hated the Governor! Her character probably got the most development this season. She, like Merle, had to choose between the original group and the Governor. Only this decision is much more difficult for her than it is with Merle because of her very close relationship she forms with the Governor. Her performance is definitely one that stands out. First Shane, now the Governor. She has the worst taste in men.

There are moments when the show slows down. All of those fairly pointless moments courtesy of whenever Rick goes off the deep end and takes the 3:10 to cray-cray town. That was the only time in the season that I didn't care for. Aside from that, I've got nothing else.

Final Report: Season 3 of The Walking Dead is the most satisfy season so far. Enough said.

Television Review #11: The Walking Dead Season 2 (2011-2012)

Season 2 kicks off with Rick and the gang getting the heck out of dodge after a nearly fatal encounter at the Center for Disease Control. On the road, on of their own gets separated from the group causing the gang to split up to look for the lost one. Which is never a good idea to split up, especially during the apocalypse. When searching, Rick's stupid kid Carl gets shot and needs immediate medical attention. Which leads us to Hershel. A doctor who takes the group in until Carl gets patched up.

While there are interesting character arcs that take place and we are introduced to the Green family, I would have to say that season 2 is my least favorite of the three seasons. I'm not saying that season 2 is a bad season, I'm just saying that it is the weaker of the three seasons by comparison. I think that the reason for this is because all the writers for the first season were fired and replaced with a new staff. Why were they fired? Beats me!

There are fascinating issues the group has to deal with. Rifts start forming between the gang leading to quite a few subplots in the show which could get hard to keep track of but didn't bother me. What did get on my nerves was that while some characters became cooler, others became bothersome, irritating and at times quite obnoxious. Carl in particular seriously angered me. Lori and Andrea are also too blame. All of them drove me crazy whether it was because of their inability to do things on their own, their constant desire to grow up and be independent or just that they never did what they were told like STAY IN THE HOUSE! That really got on my nerves.

What makes up for it are the many "No way" or "Shyamalan-esque plot twist" moments that occur during the season. There are more than enough that happen and I relish in those moments when they do.

Final Report: The second season of The Walking Dead might be the weakest season, but it still contains great new characters added to the group, fascinating personal issues the characters undergo, gory violence and a few surprises.

Television Review #10: The Walking Dead Season 1 (2010)

If someone asked me what my favorite TV show is, I would answer Doctor Who without even thinking about it. But another one of my favorite shows is The Walking Dead which happens to be returning for its fourth blood-filled season. What better reason is there for me to review every season of this incredible drama.

Season 1: The Pilot episode starts out with our hero Rick, played by Andrew Lincoln, awaking from a coma. Only to realize that he completely missed out on the apocalypse and that the dead are now walking. This was a great introduction to our main character Rick considering the entire episode revolves around him. An entire backstory was given at the beginning telling that he fell into the coma after getting shot in the line of duty.

The next episodes introduce us to Ricks family and Shane his best friend who was his partner on the force. We are also introduced to the other members of this rag-tag group of stragglers and survivors. There are plenty of characters that you either enjoy or detest. Some characters like Rick and Glen have your approval from the start whereas others like Darryl, might have given a bad first impression but as the show goes on they earn your respect. Darryl, in my humble opinion, ends up becoming one of the coolest fictional characters of all time.

The make-up and prosthetics are fantastic. They look very realistic and definitely not for the squeamish or faint-of-heart because this show is about as gory as they come. And in case you were wondering, the show only gets more graphically violent with each season. On a side note, I adore the use of practical effects like prosthetics in a world of CGI. The writing manages to give enough development towards most of the characters. Some cool characters like T-Dog don't get much development while most of the story revolves around Rick, Shane and Rick's family. But the story is so captivating that we are alright with the fact that some of the characters are underdeveloped.

There is also a big plot twist that is teased at during the season finale that is so good that it would make M. Night Shyamalan proud.

Final Report: Season 1 might be only six episodes long but they pack a such a punch. At least enough of a punch to make you want to keep watching.